


Fake it 'til you...

by FreakyPseudWriter



Series: Iruka Week 2021 [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Airplanes, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fear of Flying, First Meetings, Flying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29959752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreakyPseudWriter/pseuds/FreakyPseudWriter
Summary: Flying doesn't bother you. Most of the time, you tend to your job, writing emails, planning appointments for your boss, or simply sleep the flight away.Though, on this flight, your seat neighbor is obviously scared to death by the prospect of leaving the ground, to the point you have to intervene. Everything to save your most comfortable flats from halfway digested food.
Relationships: Umino Iruka/Original Character(s), Umino Iruka/Original Female Character(s), Umino Iruka/Reader
Series: Iruka Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2199300
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21
Collections: Iruka Week 2021





	Fake it 'til you...

**Author's Note:**

> And the third prompt for Iruka Week! This one is the longest fic I have written for the event. It's now the second time I have written a Fake Dating-fic for Iruka, which is a funny coincidence (insert the Dr. Doofenshmirtz-meme with the two pennies and weird coincidences).
> 
> Anyway, it's also connected with an unrelated prompt I picked up a long time ago. The two characters meet during a flight where on of them is scared of flying. In this one, Iruka is scared to death, and the MC is more or less moved to comfort him ^^'' 
> 
> Well, I hope you guys have just as much fun reading this as I had writing this fic ^^

Your seat neighbor was clearly nervous. It was as obvious as the bright blue sky above or the sticky yet cool air inside the airplane. The guy was not exactly trembling in his seat, but there was a certain anxiety edged into his face which you knew all too well. His fingers were either wrung together or tapping onto the arm rest on his side of the two seats, but his left knee was jumping up and down, like a child in school, too bored by the lessons to bother sitting still. 

It annoyed you to no end. The knee continued to bump into your leg, in the process jostling the small work laptop and thus forcing you to make more typos than necessary. Dammit, the mail had to go out before the flight took off.

“Want to sit at the window?” you asked the next time the guys’ knee bumped into yours, just a few seconds later, “It always calms me down.”

At first, he didn’t even answer. Just stared blankly at you like you said something completely out of line. His eyes were of a very dark brown, you noticed, so dark in fact they appeared black just for a second. A nice compliment to his tanned skin and the chestnut-colored hair, pulled into a high ponytail. Then, slowly like the rising sun, sheer raw relief spread over his face and pulled the very edges of the faint scar crossing the bridge of his nose higher. 

“You really would switch seats with me?” His voice was also nice. Really nice. Smooth and warm, just like his very being seemed to be when he wasn’t nervous or anxious. You nodded and watched how the man forced his legs first out into the thin path between seats before rising up to make space. 

Time for you to pack up. Your laptop was quickly placed in the belonging bag, and the rest of your things were also gathered in a matter of seconds. Business trips were just like that. Easy in and out, no heavy baggage and long waiting times. One of the few things you genuinely enjoyed about flying for your job. 

What you didn’t enjoy were the tight spaces in all planes. Inwardly, you were cursing at the small legroom economy classes tended to give to “lesser” people as you squeezed yourself past your nervous seat neighbor. 

“Thanks.” In the small space, his words brushed uncomfortably close over your skin when he spoke up. Again, you just nodded and watched how he squeezed himself back into the seat, the ponytail bobbing up and down as he did so. 

Nothing but the good deed of the day. And you could now finally finish that mail in peace. With a low sigh, you mentally said goodbye to the fantastic view of the window, showing you the blue sky, lazy clouds and the sun preparing itself to sink on the horizon. 

As you typed away, you could feel the looks your neighbor gave to you. They crawled all over the left side of your face, down to your simple blouse and dress jacket, further down to the matching dress pants with the sharp edge (which took you ages to get just right) and the comfortable, worn-out flats you always wore to every flight. You wouldn’t bother anyone by taking off your shoes after the stressful day at the branch office, thank you very much.

Still heavily aware of the glances which were thrown your way, you again placed your laptop on your knees and tapped away. The keys were clicking as the announcements passed by, the crew members walked through the long lanes to make sure everyone was properly seated and secured, and even right to the end of the safety measures, demonstrated by a guy who looked so bored he might as well fall asleep right then and there. 

With a low sigh under your breath, you shut down the laptop and secured it quickly underneath the seat right before you. The plane was already driving over the wide field of the airport. A consistent, ever-present roar rumbled through every seat, making thinking of anything else but the upcoming take-off impossible. Time for you to reach for the bubblegum you always had stored in the right pocket of your dress jacket. 

This time though, things were different. Just when you got out the package of brightly colored gum, the man on your left whimpered. Pitifully, trying to suppress every sound, but you heard it nevertheless over the rumbling of the machines. One look to him and you feared for the most comfortable shoes you ever owed.

He could play a ghost in a movie. His tan didn’t stop him from going as white as a sheet, eyes squeezed shut and hands balled into tight fists. For a second, you worried he would maybe break his own hands, just by the sheer force he seemed to exude. Fuck, his knuckles were even whiter than his face!

Without thinking, you reached over the armrest. The skin of his fist was warm as your fingertips stroked over the back of his hand. 

“It’s alright,” you said quietly, “it’s alright. You can hold my hand if you want.”

Without a word, the stranger did so. His fist opened, only to take your fingers into a tender grip. His own fingertips slipped over your knuckles up into your palm, squeezing your hand as he did so. Almost like he didn’t want to hurt or offend you, breach more of your personal space than you offered. A strangely cute gesture, but maybe you were also just interpreting overly meaningful stuff into rather meaningless gestures. 

“Thank you.” Another squeeze of his hand. When you glanced at him, his eyes were open again and his entire face seemed a little bit more relaxed than before. Definitely not like he wanted to hurl all over his and your shoes anymore. Also, not as pale as before, what was definitely a good development.

At this point, it was almost a criminal offense to not introduce yourself, when the stranger was already holding your hand for security. “My name is (Y/N) (Y/LN). Nice to meet you.”

“Iruka. Iruka Umino. Hi.” His hand closed tighter around yours when a deep rumble went through the entire plane. The machines were about to start, take-off was near. “Oh gods… I hate flying so much.”

“Why fly then?”

“It’s for a job interview. Really good job at a private school. Would be stupid not to go.”

“I see.”

“And you?”

“Job trip. On the way back though, my boss’ business in this branch of the company is done.”

Suddenly, the plane jumped forward. A tiny whimper could be heard from Iruka, but most of it was drowned out by the roaring of the engine. His hand crushed yours as the plane came to life, speeding over the long field and preparing to launch itself into the air. This part also had you queasy, but you kept quiet for the sake of Iruka. He was worse than you in that regard. One look at him said everything.

His eyes were squeezed shut, his free hand clawing into the other armrest that even his knuckles turned white. Damn, even his breathing flattened and pearls of sweat stood on his forehead. He looked bad, sick and nauseous. 

“It’s fine,” you leaned over and tried to talk over the roar of the engine, “it will be alright.”

Iruka merely shook his head, eyes tightly squeezed shut. Only the crushing grip around your hand moved, rearranged and tightened even more, if that was even possible. 

“It will be fine,” you tried again, “the flight will be over in a few hours and then you will get the job and everything will be fine.”

“I have to go on at least two more flights. One back to Ame to grab all my stuff and another one back to Konoha for the move. And that only if I get the job.”

“You will get it.”

“You don’t know me.” Iruka shook his head as the nose of the airplane started to rise. “Oh _fuck_ , oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck, oh my god, oh my.”

No amount of talking would bring Iruka down again from his panic attack. He was so far gone, lost to his fear of flying, that the only thing you could actually do was to hold onto his hand like your life depended on it and not let go.

Like you had any choice in that. Iruka seemed determined to break every single bone in your hand, not even realizing he was doing so while the airplane rose. Rose further and further, up into the sky, your stomach lurching upwards. One look outside, and the world was tilted sideways. Houses, trees, the many lakes Amegakure was known for and in the very distance, you could even see the highest and at the same time oldest building the city was built around: the Rainfall Towers with lots of different offices inside. One of them was the branch office of your own company. 

You were waiting patiently until the airplane was again in a horizontal position and the lights went on to indicate that passengers were allowed to stand up now. Only then, you directed your word again at Iruka, voice gentle even though you wanted to snarl at him to let go of your hand. 

“Hey, Iruka.”

He twitched, but that was all of a response you got. The man still looked like he preferred to be on the fateful trip of the Titanic than here, high up in the air. 

“Breathe,” you encouraged him, “breathe calmly in and out. Can you do that for me?”

You thought Iruka ignored or didn’t hear you, but after a few moments of tense silence, he nodded. Nodded and closed his eyes again, trying to shut out the world.

“Breathe,” you tried yet again, leaning closer to Iruka and breathing in the scent of sandalwood and cold sweat, “before you puke all over the place.”

Maybe it was the little hiss in your voice or something else. You were just glad to see Iruka relax the tiniest bit, before he took an audible inhale, even over the roaring of the machines and the quiet chatter of the other passengers and flight attendants around you. 

“Another,” you spurred him on, “and breathe calmly.”

Slowly, Iruka breathed in and out, while you continued to whisper silent encouragement. You definitely wouldn’t get any work done on this flight, but your entertainment was already cut out for you in the form of this nervous bundle of flight fright of a man. Babysitting him until the end of the six hour flight. Fun. 

The same grumpy flight attendant who you already noticed during the safety instructions stood now only two rows away, handing out little cups of water, tea or coffee to anyone who wanted them. When the guy reached your seats, he scoffed when he noticed your entwined hands before asking the inevitable: “What can I give to you? Water, tea, some coffee? Juice, maybe?”

On his name tag was the name “Deidara”. His long, blond hair worthy of being shown in a shampoo commercial fell in a long ponytail over his shoulder, while his blue eyes and the same bored, overly annoyed tone as before, only interrupted by a short tug at his mouth when he noticed the suffering of Iruka, showed exactly how he saw you and Iruka. Strangely enough, that annoyed you to no end. The flight attendant had no right to make fun of him when he was clearly sick. 

“Water,” your icy tone made Deidara raise his eyebrows, “and some soothing green tea for him. And do you have any spare sick bags? We don’t have any.”

“There should be some-!”

“There are none,” you interrupted him, outright glaring now until the boy shied away, “and as this guys’ girlfriend, I have to say that I don’t appreciate you smiling at his misery. Your schadenfreude isn’t needed nor should it be shown in your face while you work.” 

You were aware you made a little scene as you broke the attendant down. Though, you were already used to it as your boss mostly sent you on ridiculous tasks like screaming at the poor coffee shop worker because the coffee was too hot, too sugary, too foamy or anything the nitpicker could find to make a blue-collar-workers life miserable. 

At least that had been good training for exactly this moment. Not caring if Deidara actually prepared the beverages or even cared enough to do so, you turned again to Iruka and squeezed his hand. “There. Everything is alright.”

The little white lie you told about being his girlfriend was just that: a little white lie. Nothing bad would come out of it —you hoped— and as long as Iruka was sick and scared, there would be nothing happening anyway.

Without looking, you grabbed the offered cup of tea and the small plastic cup of water. “Thank you,” you said, just as calm and collected as before, “and please, we need some sick bags. As you can see,” with one hand, it was hard to flip open the adjointed desk in front of you, but you managed somehow, “he isn’t very well.” 

No explanation, no friendly smile to ease the sting of your words. The attendant got what he deserved in your eyes and if he didn’t like you for it, so be it. 

Just in time, you turned your head around to see that Iruka was smiling a weak, trembling smile, still suspiciously pale around the nose.

“Girlfriend?” he asked weakly, silent enough the attendant wouldn’t be able to hear him. “Interesting development.”

“Sorry. That way, there would be no questions asked from him.”

“I get it.” Iruka nodded at the attendant, even though his warmth only returned when he locked eyes with yours once more. The rumbling of the drink station passed by, but only when the slightly less annoyed voice of the attendant could be barely heard, he continued, still weak and silent yet with a healthy sparkle in his eyes. “As my supposed girlfriend, you should know I can’t say no to a good prank. Yours was a bit iffy in my opinion, though.”

“Iffy?”

“Yes, iffy.”

“How so?” Challenging, you raised a single eyebrow.

Iruka chuckled. “First off, a good prank only makes people confused, not pissed off. However, your intention was to get back at the guy because he was mocking me silently, another point which softens his mocking a bit.”

“That he kept the jokes about you being sick to himself instead of saying them out loud?”

“Yeah, even though his face betrayed him.” He shrugged weakly. “I’m not saying you’re wrong for calling him out. He needs to learn to keep his thoughts for himself. However, you ridiculed him in front of an entire airplane.”

“I wasn’t even loud enough that the rows behind us could’ve heard us.”

“Doesn’t matter to him. I would watch out for anything he gives to you on this flight.” Iruka smiled, but a sudden tremble of the plane made him grimace. “Oh fuck. Is this thing straight from hell really safe?”

“Should be. The problem is that when an accident happens…”

Iruka turned green. “Don’t. Just don’t.”

“Aah, no need to worry. Most incidents happen at the start or landing process. So, we’re perfectly safe until we’re about to land.”

You enjoyed Iruka’s pained groan way too much for your own good. Hiding your smile in the cup of water, you pushed the cup of tea into Iruka’s hands. Only when you were sure he would drink a few sips without spitting them out immediately after, you leaned back into your seat and closed your eyes for a second. 

Maybe, this would go better than expected. Fingers crossed. 

~ X ~

There was an error in your judgement, you realized when Deidara came back with the sick bags a few minutes after your short moment of relaxation and the very short silence, in which you detangled your fingers from Iruka’s hand and tried to put some distance between the two of you. 

The young guy in uniform basically stared daggers into your hands when you accepted the sick bags, scowling and rolling his eyes when you thanked him. Lesson definitely not learned. But the real problem arose when another attendant walked past, looked at you, looked at Iruka, only to scoff as well and walk over to the rude attendant to stick their heads together. 

“I think they’re onto us,” you mumbled as you leaned closer to Iruka. “They’re gossiping.”

Iruka was still clawing into his arm rest, but seemed less tense, enough to look over his shoulder to glance at the still gossiping flight attendants. “Oh yeah. Definitely.”

“What do we do?”

“Do we need to do anything?”

“Not really, but…”

“It’s just uncomfortable. To know they are thinking badly about you, isn’t it?”

Not really. You were just about to tell Iruka exactly that, but the look in his eyes made you change your mind. Hell, if he thought you had some guilty consciousness left in you, why not? It wasn’t like you would ever see him again after you went off this plane.

“A little bit,” you said and watched how Iruka’s face lit up. “But I’m used to this, don’t worry too much about me.”

However, Iruka raised his index finger and waggled it right in front of your eyes. “Okay, as far as I can see, you have two options. Option A, you don’t do anything and stew in your misery. Option B, we act like we’re a couple and make them regret gossiping.”

Act like a couple? “Like we’re really together?”

“Yes.”

“With hands holding and cuddling and…?”

“Not more if you don’t want to.”

“And pet names?”

“Pet names, included. That’s the best part of the entire thing.”

“Like,” you tried to think of something really ridiculous, a name which would make Iruka regret ever having brought up this conversation, “Babycake?”

Iruka chuckled. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

“Honeycheeks?”

“Alright.”

“And Mister Loverboy?”

“Now, you’re trying way too hard.”

A short giggle fell from your mouth. “Yeah, sorry. I mean, I had to try at least, you know?”

His warm laugh joined your giggle. “I see that. No worries there. Would’ve done the same.”

“You can do the same, still.”

At that, Iruka’s eyes started to truly sparkle. He was ready to bring havoc over this plane if needed. Certainly, this entire charade was just a little ploy for himself to stay occupied and not go crazy over the plane ride. Pranking his fears away, so to speak. 

Sure, the entire plan was good for Iruka, to forget about his fear of flying. But now, this little white lie threatened to snowball into a big avalanche. You just claimed to be his girlfriend to make sure your concerns about his health would be heard, to make sure the attendant wouldn’t be that rude and annoyed out in the open anymore, to make sure he wouldn’t laugh anymore at other people on future flights. 

Pretending to be a girlfriend… Too much hassle. But when you turned again around and glanced at Deidara, saw how he obviously pointed into your direction and was in the middle of raising his middle finger at you, you had it. 

“Okay,” grimly nodding, you turned forward again, “I’m in. Let’s be as sickly, sugary sweet as possible. Stupid pet names included.”

Nobody ever said you weren’t a petty person. Thus, when Deidara again passed by your seats, you couldn’t help but to grin ever so smugly when you reached for Iruka’s hand and took it into yours. 

The poisonous glare you received was worth the slight hint of discomfort at using Iruka for your own selfish gain. As in, using his body to make sure you had the upper hand over a stranger. 

Though, when you looked again at Iruka, he had a knowing sparkle in his eyes. “Enough already?”

“Never,” you mumbled and scooted closer, “not until this plane lands.”

With one foot, you sneaked below his right foot, the other leg was draped over his knees. An intimate gesture, so close and speaking about personal closeness your stomach grew again heavy. 

For so long, you didn’t have a relationship. Your job didn’t allow it; too time consuming and demanding. Often, you also took on extra work, overtime, extra tasks and so on. Everything to avoid going home.

_Avoid going home? Is that what it is? Me avoiding my own home? Out of fear of what?_

_Not out of fear. Out of the loneliness waiting there._

It took a strange plane ride with a travel-sick teacher by your side to realize something you were aware of the entire time, but suppressed it. Suppressed it to not having to face the truth of you being… lonely. Fuck, not even a pet as small as a goldfish waiting for you at home, just your fridge happily buzzing whenever you opened it to grab some food. 

“Something the matter?”

Iruka was an observant guy. Too observant, in your opinion. When his deep, brown eyes stared at the side of your face, you couldn’t hold out for too long. His staring was unnerving, to the point you clicked your tongue and sighed.

“What is it?” you hissed under your breath.

“I asked you if something is the matter,” he asked, still smiling and still looking at you with the same patience you could imagine him using on his students. “But seeing that you act like a little child about it, I guess I will drop it for now.”

“Exactly.”

“Good.”

“Fine.”

“I am dropping it.”

“That’s good.”

“Then why are you still continuing this conversation?”

“I don’t.”

“But we’re still talking about it.”

“We aren’t.”

“And yet, here we are,” Iruka’s patient smile pissed you off tremendously, “still talking about something you don’t want to talk about. We’re still having this conversation, because deep down I truly believe you actually _want_ to talk about it.” 

“No, I don’t!” You were so close to disentangle yourself from him, but his grip on your hand turned to steel and his other hand landed on your knee, demanding your attention and to stay locked into place. He did it so casually, like he didn’t mind to be that close to a stranger. Insanity, sheer insanity to you. 

“But it’s true,” Iruka didn’t let go, didn’t let up and didn’t let you escape in any shape or form, “you want to talk about it. I know you want to. Otherwise you wouldn’t have paused like that, otherwise you wouldn’t have done all of this.”

“What the hell,” you lowered your voice even further as Deidara passed by, still glaring like the devil himself, “are you talking about? I’m not doing this to gain anyone’s attention. I just want to give it back to this asshole of a flight attendant.”

Iruka snorted. “Mhmm. Alright. Let me just tell you what I’m thinking of this situation here.”

“I liked you better when you were sick.”

“And thanks to your wonderful care of me, I can now hold this great speech. Anyway,” he took a sip of his water, coughed weakly and continued, “you’re now stuck with me as your boyfriend. That includes me caring about you.”

“Keep the care for yourself.” Gods, you wanted to shove him off; off and away, but there was nothing you could do without causing a scene at the moment. The only thing you could do was sliding a tiny bit away from him, but yet again, Iruka merely followed and kept on clinging to you like a second skin. “I’m just saying. You seem like this cold, calculating business woman when in fact, I think you are not like that on the inside. You claim that you’re used to other people thinking badly about you, yet you still worry about the opinion of the attendants. And don’t think I haven’t noticed that me being sick seemed to annoy the hell out of you, and you still tried to help me.”

“And? What about it?”

“There’s a nice person beneath your cold shell, I’m sure of it.” Triumphantly, Iruka raised your hand still entangled with his. “This is proof enough for me.”

“This is nothing,” you scowled, “in front of a court, this wouldn’t even last for a minute.”

“We’re not in front of a court, we’re on board of an airplane, pretending…” Iruka’s voice lowered itself almost out of instinct when a flight attendant passed by, “...pretending to be girlfriend and boyfriend. There’s nothing to prove here.”

“Then why,” you hissed back, “why do you so desperately want to make the point of me being a good person?”

“Because you are.” Iruka shrugged, like it was the simplest exclamation of the world. “And seeing you degrading yourself when you’re helping me so much just isn’t right.”

The words itself didn’t shun you into silence. No, the absolute confidence did; Iruka’s steadfast belief in you and your kindness. It was honestly incredible, to think a stranger would take your personality apart like that and nitpick the best parts and actually… _like_ them. Wholeheartedly, apparently. 

You threw a strange look at Iruka. He answered with a mischievous grin, the mirth shining out of his eyes like the sun shone at the clear, blue summer sky. A huff escaped you, then you decided that the discussion wasn’t worth the trouble. One had to know when it was time to retreat and lay low, and this was just such a moment. With a low sigh, you leaned your head back and closed your eyes, but still not letting go of Iruka’s hand and not loosening one bit of your embrace of your legs and bodies. 

~ X ~

You must have fallen asleep. Exhausted by the long day of travel, exhausted by the paperwork your boss made you do up until you entered the plane, exhausted by the strange emotional labor you had to do for your seat neighbor and part-time fake boyfriend. You didn’t notice that you had fallen asleep. The only thing you did know was that you woke up to a sharp gasp and the wetness of your clothes. 

You opened your eyes. The first thing in your vision was Iruka, ripping handkerchiefs out of Deidara’s grasp, who did nothing but smirk weakly at the trouble he —without a doubt in your mind— caused himself. 

_What a cheeky fucker._

“(Y/N)? Hey, are you alright?” Iruka’s worried tone made you look at him once again. 

“Yeah, of course.” Despite your rough words, you gifted him a smile and allowed him to dab away any excess liquid, just as another flight attendant came over with more tissues and more apologetic smiles. Interestingly enough, the same attendant who you had seen talking to Deidara to, now all professional excuses for you instead of her belittling giggle. 

“I’m so sorry for this here, this was definitely an accident on my colleagues part,” she chittered, all the while still fussing over you and your drenched clothing. Fuck, how much did Deidara empty out over you, an entire water canteen? Did he even think twice about doing it or just went “fuck it” and went the suicide route?

Taking you out with him in the process. What a cheeky little fucker, indeed.

One look at Iruka, who was still trying to salvage your clothes, another at the other flight attendant, also dabbing away. A glance around the surroundings, as lots of people obviously weren’t shy to pry on the scene and way too damn nosy for their own good. They were waiting, trying to seize your reaction. There were also some phones pointed at you, always chasing internet clout and validation on Twitter. 

All these thoughts stormed through your head, which made your decision even easier. Another glance into Iruka’s eyes, then you nodded and took one of the tissues out of his hands. 

“Thanks love,” you sat up straight, inspecting the damage done to your business costume, “it’s very much appreciated.”

Out of the corner of your vision, you saw Deidara’s face fall. He expected an entirely different reaction, that was for sure. Another low sigh, then you looked up to him with an easy smile tugging your lips upwards. “No worries there. I’m sure it was an accident. Are you alright? No twisted ankle or a bruised wrist or anything?”

“No. Thank you,” he added after a split second of hesitation, and the understanding dawned on him like the sunrise on a clear summer sky, “Ma’am. Everything is alright.”

“Thank goodness. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight if you were hurt somehow.”

“I assure you, Ma’am, I’m alright. Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, most definitely. Your colleague is just wonderful.”

The attention of the bystanders faded quickly. The people returned to their seats, sat back down and turned away, leaving only the small group of people involved in their wake. Deidara, with the face of someone who bit into a particularly nasty lemon, handed you more tissues, while his colleague threw more and more evil glances at the man. If looks could kill, Deidara would’ve been long gone. 

“I’m sorry,” the blond man repeated once more, a bored parrot babbling a meaningless apology, “this really shouldn’t have happened.”

“Ma’am,” the other flight attendant chimed in, “do you want to be upgraded for the mishap? There are some free spots left in first class.”

You knew there was at least one seat left. Right beside your boss, who was such an uncomfortable asshole all the time he always booked two seats to make sure no one would sit beside him. You had to know; you were after all the one booking the seats.

Then, another look at Iruka. Your mouth opened at its own volition, and before you knew it, you said: “Will my boyfriend also get an upgrade? I don’t want to leave him alone.”

If possible, Deidara’s face fell even further. Though, the other flight attendant seemed now also a bit surprised at your rejection.

“I think,” she said with a voice as sweet and slick as honey, “we only have one more seat open in first class.”

“Alright. Then, I will stay here. I appreciate the offer, though.” With a dismissive flick of your wrist, you turned your full attention again to the man by your side. Strangely enough he looked… grateful, over something unbeknownst to you. 

“What?” you asked and shrugged. “It’s no use if I can’t share first class with you.”

Suddenly, you found yourself with an armful of warm, laughing, lovely brunet. Iruka was trembling against you, your shoulder pleasantly pressing into his face and his breath crashing into some of your skin. You were somehow aware of the flight attendant’s leaving (the unnamed attendant shoving Deidara with more force than necessary and hissing to the boy in a hushed, furious tone), but your main focus was on Iruka. 

“I can’t believe,” he finally gasped out, the single words pressed between his waves of laughter, “I can’t effin believe you denied first class! For me!”

Once more, you shrugged. “First class isn’t that fancy on these short flights anyway. First class on long flights though… I would’ve left you for that comfort then and there.”

It was testimony of his quick wit that Iruka merely shrugged as well and smiled, joking still and dishing out just as much as he could receive. “Damn, if I had known I would be that quickly replaced, just by a little bit of comfort, then I wouldn’t have taken you as my… girlfriend.”

“And without you nearly puking on my shoes, I would’ve never agreed to be your…” Your pause was maybe just as dramatic and teasing as his had been. “Girlfriend.”

~ X ~

The end of the flight came sooner than you expected. It felt like the blink of an eye, as the time was filled by Iruka and you bickering back and forth, discussing issues about education and your boss and both of you whining to each other about the stress of your respective jobs. It was… nice, surprisingly. Talking to Iruka was easy and nice and just… really nice.

Only when the mechanic voice of the pilot echoed through the speakers and the attendants walked through the tight gangway to check on the passengers, you were aware of how much time passed. Iruka seemed to also wake up from the temporary haze, as his hand clutched around yours in a sudden death grip.

“Hey,” you bore his grip with the patience of a saint, “it will be alright. Close your eyes and I will talk to you for a bit longer.”

The paleness on his face was back. Though, Iruka didn’t look as panicked as before, just… pale. Nothing else.

Mumbling and whispering to him, you supported him through the landing of the airplane. There was a short moment you thought he would puke again when the plane finally touched the ground, but he straightened himself out quickly. Just a shivery exhale, nothing else, then he opened his brown, warm eyes which bore into yours like a lifeline.

One second was all it took him to completely shake you to the very core.

You already had dubbed Iruka as a heavily physical person, as his hands were constantly on you, but that behavior was nothing like feeling his gestures up to close. Before you knew it, you felt his lips on your cheek, just as quickly gone as it began. 

He didn’t even seem fazed! Brightly smiling when you turned to him, one hand rising to touch your cheek towards the tingling spot, and he whispered: “I’m kinda glad I got onto this specific flight and got you as my seat neighbor. Who knows if I would have survived this experience without you here.”

“Don’t be too dramatic.” However, you couldn’t help but blush. “Any decent person-!”

“See? You’re a decent, nice person.” He was still beaming at you, while the first people already stood up and scrambled for their belongings around you. “And because you’re a decent, nice person and… well,” he blushed, “you did me a huge favor for the entire flight, I would like to invite you for some coffee. Sometime. If I get the job.”

“You will get the job. And…” Your head raced through all the possible outcomes. Iruka could be appalled by the amount of work you brought home every day, or he could grow to dislike you as a person. No matter how many times he claimed to believe you were a good person and said so very loudly.

What could really happen?

“Sure. Let me give you my number.” 

The decision was easily made and when you finally stepped out of the airplane and tried to find your boss in the chaos of the airport, you received Iruka’s first text. It was an image of him, cheekily sticking his tongue out, the scar over the bridge of his nose ever so slightly crinkled and so cute your heart missed a beat, only to accelerate slightly.

As you looked at the screen, you just had to smile. Yeah, you were also quite alright with getting on that flight and being Iruka’s seat neighbor as well. Despite the entire weird fake-dating debacle which led to absolutely nowhere but to spite one single flight attendant.

Well… Maybe it led to something. Something new and exciting, some kind of relationship you didn’t have in so long.

You really hoped so. One could dream, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Only proofread by me, which doesn't mean a lot.


End file.
